Reading Time: 3 minutes It might be a sensitive time to talk about wearing a mask, especially for the rest of a lifetime. That simply cannot be in the best interest of any living creature. However, this is exactly what is being proposed — and being developed — for cattle. The mask (developed by art students) covers the nostrils […] Read more
Schoepp: Pity the poor cow — bovine burps have so many in a tizzy
In the vast world of ruminants, cattle and their belching are getting an awful lot of attention
Schoepp: Our ag sector is a powerhouse but transport woes hold it back
Farmers are paying a big price because transportation infrastructure is not what it should be
Reading Time: 3 minutes Trains, planes and trucks are in constant motion to move Canadian agricultural commodities and value-added products across our massive country to ports for distribution around the world. Our farmers depend on a functioning infrastructure that includes road, rail and the sea. The more interruptions there are to the smooth and timely flow of goods, the […] Read more
Schoepp: Loss of extension services left a hole in rural communities
There needs to be a hub at the centre where information and ideas can build resilience and innovation
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rural communities across Canada are striving to maintain their schools, businesses and labour force. Often, the lack of services, slow broadband, isolation and a narrow spectrum of jobs that provide a living wage contribute to an exit of the young population to major centres. In several provinces, the disbanding or complete elimination of extension services […] Read more
Schoepp: It’s time to dispel a key myth about cattle and greenhouse gases
We can reduce cattle emissions but the focus should be on the real source of atmospheric warming
Reading Time: 3 minutes On the small island of Meares off the West Coast of Canada there is a herd of wild cattle. They are a cross of Shorthorn, Hereford and Jersey and the offspring resemble a long-legged red and white calf. What is unique about these cattle is their diet. Just as the coastal wolves are fishing wolves, […] Read more
Schoepp: Rising input costs offer a chance to rethink our approach
The benefits of biodiversity are increasingly well known and offer an alternative to the status quo
Reading Time: 3 minutes Gas and diesel prices are heading into record territory, while producers are facing shortages of basics such as seed, herbicide and fertilizer. With costs increasing, the question becomes one of field performance. Are there ways to hold the yields without compromising the environment while on the journey to better climate behaviour? One could argue that […] Read more
Schoepp: The cost of climate change action shouldn’t fall on the few
Big changes are being contemplated — farmers should be part of the planning and be fairly supported
Reading Time: 3 minutes Climate consciousness has been replaced by a sense of urgency, much of it focused on Canadian agriculture. Before we begin the climate conversation, let us go to other areas of the world. Recently I spoke at length with friends in Europe where the momentum on climate action in Germany had resulted in embracing wind power. […] Read more
Schoepp: The food sector is much bigger than you might imagine
We’ve seriously underestimated how big the sector is, and its ability to be an even bigger economic engine
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the world of agriculture and agri-food evolves, so too does its workforce. Capturing just who is engaged in this massive economic engine has been difficult as previous statistics have focused on who works ‘on the farm’ rather than who is employed ‘in the food system.’ Perhaps never before in history has there been such […] Read more
Schoepp: Hunger doesn’t just happen to people in far-away places
You can see telltale signs in our grocery stores and the streets of cities and towns
Reading Time: 3 minutes While recently spending several months travelling in and out of a major city, I often ran out of time to eat in the evenings and whenever I shopped, it was late at night. Buying groceries was something I could do on the way back to the farm, without the worry of crowds or traffic. On […] Read more
Schoepp: When did food producers become the bad guys in movies?
‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ is the latest offering that looks to the food sector to find a villain
Reading Time: 3 minutes A chance to hang out with my granddaughters during New Year’s was celebrated with treats and a movie. We watched “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” a new film based on the 1963 book of the same name. Clifford and his friend Emily Elizabeth are always on an adventure. In the movie, Clifford’s size attracts more […] Read more
Schoepp: Pitting one farming practice against another benefits no one
Dismissing regenerative agriculture — or synthetic fertilizer — out of hand is not the way forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes The use of synthetic nitrogen is being debated around the world by farmers and scientists. Stirring the discussion further last month was an opinion piece titled “Nutrient Claims are Crap” written by Jaqueline Rowarth in a New Zealand publication called Rural News. In it, the agrologist took a run at regenerative agriculture, describing it as […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
